Lesser Sundas Part 4

Rote

Friday 27^th

A leisurely start for a change as we were not out birding at dawn. We enjoyed a nice breakfast on the hotel veranda overlooking the sea. We still managed to see a few birds including a pair of Crested Terns that were perched on some close rocks. Three egrets flew over the sea, our first herons of the trip but were too distant to identify. We checked out of the hotel taking only an overnight bag and leaving the rest in the hotel.

We drove a short way down to the port and boarded the fast ferry to Rote. We had seats by the window in the VIP section so settled in for a two-hour seawatch. A Brown Noddy flew past shortly followed by a Bridled Tern then there was a long gap until four Red-necked Phalaropes were seen. Towards the end of the crossing we disturbed a group of six Brown Boobies that came up from the sea and flew off.

Rote ferry

Pacific Swallow

We docked at 11am and met our driver and went off for a buffet lunch while scanning the trees outside for our first endemic. After a while a Blue-cheeked (Rote) Flowerpecker came in. It was still really hot so there was no point going out birding yet so we went and checked into our hotel before heading out later in the afternoon.

Rote is quite arid and it was still hot when we went out but we did start to see some birds, including some more endemics. First up was Rote Myzomela and this was followed by Rote Leaf-Warbler, the only one we saw on the island. Rote Fantail was also seen along with other more widespread birds such as Pacific Emerald Dove, Rainbow Bee-eater (cue reference to George, Zippy & Bungle!) and Helmeted Friarbird. 

Ashy-bellied White-eye

Helmeted Friarbird

Rainbow Bee-eater

Rote Blue Flycatcher

We stayed in the forest until dusk and waited for the Rote Boobooks to appear. It didn’t take long before a pair flew in and landed on an open branch above us. They remained there for ages allowing us plenty of opportunity for photos and we left them there still calling away after we’d had our fill.

Rote Boobook

We returned to the hotel and had dinner on the rooftop terrace, washed down with a large bottle of Bintang.

Saturday 28^th

Back to an early start as we checked out of the hotel at 5am and drove for an hour to a different patch of forest, stopping for several species of dove along the way and a Cattle Egret, the first heron we’d identified. 

We had a field breakfast then spent a couple of hours in the area seeing quite a few of yesterday’s birds plus a party of Green Figbirds and a soaring Australasian Pelican.

Sunda Brush Cuckoo

Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove

Rote Fantail

Rote Myzomela

We then headed down to the lake where it felt like we saw more birds in the hour spent there than we’d seen all week. On the lake itself was a flock of Wandering Whistling-Duck with a sole Green Pygmy-Goose. Roosting Little Black and Little Pied Cormorants perched on trees at the edge and Whiskered and Black-naped Terns patrolled the water. Medium Egrets (a recent split of Intermediate) fed along the edge with a single Great Egret and a party of Royal Spoonbills slept in the far corner.

Lake

Black-naped Tern

Little Pied & Little Black Cormorants

Royal Spoonbills

Wandering Whistling-Duck & Green Pygmy-Goose

Great Egret

We edged along the shore where there were a few waders: a lone Grey-tailed Tattler flew off and we a located a plover which turned into a Red-capped Plover. There was another plover with it that we overlooked until we checked on our photos later and saw it was a Little Ringed Plover. As we drove off another Red-capped Plover was on a pool by the side of the road so we stopped for photos.

Little Ringed Plover

Red-capped Plover

It was then time to head back to the port for the return ferry to Timor. It left at 12.12 and was a much quieter journey with only three Red-necked Phalaropes and some unidentified terns seen. Once back on Timor we stopped at a restaurant for lunch then went to our hotel as there wasn’t really enough time to drive to the forest. We also had to pack up for tomorrow’s flight.